Cuts of beef - how do I use these?

[taxlady]

My mother-in-law (bless her) gave us one third of a cow. I'm not so fond of the way the butcher cut it up, but hey, it was free.

I have some chunks labelled "inside round", "outside round", and "rump roast". Which one would you use for corned beef? I already used the brisket.

 

[buckytom]

you can corn any cut, technically. but as you'd mentioned, briskets are the most common.

since you have roasts, i would consider doing something more along the lines of sauerbraten.

 

[taxlady]

you can corn any cut, technically. but as you'd mentioned, briskets are the most common.

since you have roasts, i would consider doing something more along the lines of sauerbraten.

But, I want corned beef, and those are the cuts I have. Far too much of that cow was cut into "stewing cubes". There was no chuck. I suspect that the briskets would have been made into stewing cubes or ground beef if I hadn't specifically asked for it.

 

[Bigjim68]

I would use the round portions for corned beef. Outside round first, then the inside round, then the rump roast.

 

[Andy M.]

One of the benefits of brisket for corned beef is that it is flat so the brine gets to all the meat more easily.

It might be a good idea to butterfly a thick round piece so you have two flatter pieces.

 

[Zhizara]

Long ago I was lucky enough to have a meat market nearby and I would usually get a regular roast that was corned right in a barrel. I never bought my corned beef in brisket form. They were just wonderful so I say corn away.

Now you've done it. I'll have to have some corned beef soon. I guess it will be deli or a brisket as there's no meat market handy.

 

[taxlady]

One of the benefits of brisket for corned beef is that it is flat so the brine gets to all the meat more easily.

It might be a good idea to butterfly a thick round piece so you have two flatter pieces.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I have done it in the past with a boneless blade roast that was on special.

 

[taxlady]

Long ago I was lucky enough to have a meat market nearby and I would usually get a regular roast that was corned right in a barrel. I never bought my corned beef in brisket form. They were just wonderful so I say corn away.

Now you've done it. I'll have to have some corned beef soon. I guess it will be deli or a brisket as there's no meat market handy.

Why not make your own? Then you will know what's in it. It's easy and ready to use in 8 days. I use a zippered plastic bag. The recipe is from Julia Child.

 

[taxlady]

I would use the round portions for corned beef. Outside round first, then the inside round, then the rump roast.

Sounds like a plan.

If you have the time and energy, would you mind explaining your rationale? I really don't know anything about those cuts other than where they are on a cow. I just looked them up in Joy of Cooking. I have never cooked any of them.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

We have a food warehouse store of sorts that sells corned beef made from the inside round. It's truly wonderful stuff. But be aware, the ability to eat the meat is dependent on how it's cooked, and how it's sliced. The outside round will work just fine if it's cooked properly, that is, low and slow, and no boiling. Typically, the corned beef made from the rounds is cut paper thin and layerd into sandwiches, rather than used in boiled dinner, or as a slice to place on a plate.

While in the U.S. Navy, aboard an aircraft carrier, I once had corned beef between two slices of bread that was so tough, it was nearly inedible (for most it wold have been, but I'm stubborn). This meat was so tough that it wouldn't cut with a steak knife. And tearing it with my teeth was like tearing a piece of car tire, litteraly. I've never had such a tough piece of meat before or since.

I only bring this up as outside and bottom round can be extremely tough, hence the paper thin slices, and I'm not talking printer paper, but rather, tissue paper.

So yes, use you rounds, but follow the rules when cooking. Corning doesn't make it tender. Cooking and serving properly does.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Bigjim68]

Sounds like a plan.

If you have the time and energy, would you mind explaining your rationale? I really don't know anything about those cuts other than where they are on a cow. I just looked them up in Joy of Cooking. I have never cooked any of them.

My order of usage is actually a bit of reverse engineering. Rump roast would be the most tender, and therefore more suitable for roasting. Inside (top) round slightly less tender. Goodweed is correct in the slicing across the grain in very thin slices.
When you say cow, I am assuming you are using the term generically. Cow is a dairy animal, and can be less than tender with little fat, generally suitable for grinding and the better cuts as stew cuts. Maybe the butcher was trying to tell you something by cutting mostly into stew and ground meat.
While it is possible to corn thick cuts, there is a risk of the interior turning sour before the salt does it's thing. Processors get around this by pumping brine into the meat. (They are also selling water at beef prices, but that is another story). Pieces 1.5 -2 inches or so thick sliced lengthwise should be best for baggie brining.
I make corned beef in baggies. The process is simple and the results good. I generally use choice top round.

 

[taxlady]

My order of usage is actually a bit of reverse engineering. Rump roast would be the most tender, and therefore more suitable for roasting. Inside (top) round slightly less tender. Goodweed is correct in the slicing across the grain in very thin slices.
When you say cow, I am assuming you are using the term generically. Cow is a dairy animal, and can be less than tender with little fat, generally suitable for grinding and the better cuts as stew cuts. Maybe the butcher was trying to tell you something by cutting mostly into stew and ground meat.
While it is possible to corn thick cuts, there is a risk of the interior turning sour before the salt does it's thing. Processors get around this by pumping brine into the meat. (They are also selling water at beef prices, but that is another story). Pieces 1.5 -2 inches or so thick sliced lengthwise should be best for baggie brining.
I make corned beef in baggies. The process is simple and the results good. I generally use choice top round.

Thank you. That makes sense. Yeah, I know about careful, long cooking by moist method for tough cuts of meat. I also know about cutting across the grain. I find that I often have to turn the meat and cut from a different place to keep it across the grain.

I use the baggie method too. I put a little calendar on my fridge to mark the first day and put a tick mark each day when I have massaged the meat in the baggie.

 

[taxlady]

We have a food warehouse store of sorts that sells corned beef made from the inside round. It's truly wonderful stuff. But be aware, the ability to eat the meat is dependent on how it's cooked, and how it's sliced. The outside round will work just fine if it's cooked properly, that is, low and slow, and no boiling. Typically, the corned beef made from the rounds is cut paper thin and layerd into sandwiches, rather than used in boiled dinner, or as a slice to place on a plate.
...

Is the brisket really tender? I was under the impression it was on the tough side. I'm asking because it makes a perfectly good boiled dinner, so I'm puzzled why the outside round wouldn't. Last corned beef boiled dinner left us loads for use on sandwiches. I love making my own cold cuts with no weird/toxic ingredients added.

 

[Andy M.]

As Goodweed said, it will be OK if you cook it enough and slice it across the grain. On its own, brisket is also a tough cut. Simmering it until it's for tender then slicing it across the grain will make it perfectly edible.

 

[taxlady]

I would use the round portions for corned beef. Outside round first, then the inside round, then the rump roast.

The outside round is in the fridge thawing now, in anticipation of being corned.

 

[taxlady]

...

When you say cow, I am assuming you are using the term generically. Cow is a dairy animal, and can be less than tender with little fat, generally suitable for grinding and the better cuts as stew cuts. Maybe the butcher was trying to tell you something by cutting mostly into stew and ground meat.

...

I really don't know. I am beginning to wonder if we got some cow and some beef. I had a T-bone steak (that was more porterhouse to my eye). I wanted something where there would be no doubt whatsoever what part it was. It was sloppily cut, but tender. It wasn't the same thickness throughout.

Now I'm really wondering about the very tough "chateaubriand". Was it something that looks like chateaubriand, but wasn't or was the chateaubriand from a cow?

 

[Bigjim68]

Chateaubriand is a cut from the tenderloin, and will be the most tender cut on the animal. The eye of round can be cut to resemble a chateaubriand, but it will not be anyway near as tender.

 

[taxlady]

Chateaubriand is a cut from the tenderloin, and will be the most tender cut on the animal. The eye of round can be cut to resemble a chateaubriand, but it will not be anyway near as tender.

Eye of round, that's the term I was looking for. I know Chateaubriand is supposed to be from the tenderloin. That's why I was so dismayed that it was tough. I have seen eye of round cut into rounds and sold as "tournedos". Bah humbug.

 

[Bigjim68]

I really don't know. I am beginning to wonder if we got some cow and some beef. I had a T-bone steak (that was more porterhouse to my eye). I wanted something where there would be no doubt whatsoever what part it was. It was sloppily cut, but tender. It wasn't the same thickness throughout.

Now I'm really wondering about the very tough "chateaubriand". Was it something that looks like chateaubriand, but wasn't or was the chateaubriand from a cow?

A T bone is part strip and part tenderloin. I do not understand why the T bone would be tender and not the filet part
Another issue is if you pull the tender for chateaubriand, you no longer have a T bone. What's left is a bone in shell or strip.
Interesting butchering job. Are you sure you have just one animal?

 

[taxlady]

A T bone is part strip and part tenderloin. I do not understand why the T bone would be tender and not the filet part
Another issue is if you pull the tender for chateaubriand, you no longer have a T bone. What's left is a bone in shell or strip.
Interesting butchering job. Are you sure you have just one animal?

It was tender on both sides. The chateaubriand I was talking about was a different piece. Aren't there two tenderloins on a critter? One on either side? Then you could have both tenderloin and T-bone and Porterhouse steaks.

No, I'm not sure it's all from one critter. I've been wondering about that.

I find the butchering job to be "interesting" too, especially since this guy supposedly teaches butchery. The package that this T-bone came in was labelled, "T-bone steak 1, Rib steak 1". The "rib steak" was tiny (it's in the freezer). Who does that? When would I want 1 T-bone and 1 rib steak?